I don’t embark on a UX design unless research has been done. This includes UX Research. It can include analysis of competitors, analysis of the design of other products, or familiarity with publications on the subject. And I noticed that the days when only Google knew all the answers are gone. After all, the Internet is not limited to Google. In fact, the result — the final product design — will depend on the choice of information source, on the ability to conduct Internet research, on the quality of the UXResearch conducted.

What is UX Research?

UX Research is a systematic study and analysis of target users, their behaviour, preferences and requirements. It is performed in order to bring clarity to the understanding of the design processes and to add realistic context to the design.

UX Research is more than valuable information for starting a project. It is about finding ideas for good design

UX Research can be applied at any stage of the design process. In the initial stages, research allows you to identify users’ needs and motivations, later on it gives you the opportunity to verify the result of your work.

For qualitative UX Research it is important to use effective methods — qualitative and quantitative. Both should:

• match the purpose of the research,
• provide accurate information on which to base decisions.

UX Research methodologies

Different types of UX research, from target audience surveys to A/B tests, are based on the same key methodologies: observation, insight and analysis.

Observation

As clichéd as it sounds, you have to learn not just to look, but to see and notice: read facial expressions, notice phrases spoken in passing that may reflect long-held beliefs or thoughts.

Observation needs to be developed and trained to notice patterns of behaviour in different groups of people.

Understanding

Understanding is as basic a skill as observation. It is very difficult to learn to put yourself in another person’s shoes to look at a problem through their eyes, to understand their motivations or to adopt their point of view.

But for UX researchers, understanding is closely linked to reading mental models:

• Those images that emerge in a person’s mind when they think about a particular situation, about a particular product;
• those categories with which they think, based on their life experience and level of affluence.

The more accurately a UX researcher can identify a user’s mental model, the easier it is to design a product or application, the fewer adjustments will be needed in the process.

Analysis

Every study carries value in itself. But to use it as the basis for design, it must first be analysed. Analysis is an important process by which

• Identify patterns in the study,
• propose options for the project, and make recommendations,
• Establish criteria for evaluating results.

After all, the value of research is not in collecting data using different methods, but in using the results to achieve objectives.

How do you become a good UX researcher and what skills do you develop?

For myself, I have identified 7 important skills for highly effective UX researchers.

1. Design thinking

At the heart of design thinking is the ability to solve product design problems with users in mind. According to the principles of design thinking UX researcher puts himself in the shoes of the target users to predict the problems they might encounter and immediately identify ways to solve them. Therefore, it is important to learn how to analyse user reactions to the product throughout the design process.

2. User orientation

Many companies have incorporated UCD (User Centered Design) into their product design strategy. These include IKEA, Lego, Google, Facebook, Microsoft and Apple. They staked on the emotional connection between the product and the consumer and won. Not least of all, UX research has focused on users: on identifying their needs, preferences and goals. So a good UX researcher needs to learn how to look for information that prompts an emotional relationship between the audience and the final product.

3. Creating Characters

You can collect a lot of information about users, but it’s important to learn how to identify basic patterns in order to create a portrait of your ideal user, the so-called Persona. This will reflect the needs and desires of a wide target audience, their skills, attitudes, technical background and the environment in which they live.

By learning how to create Characters, you’ll move beyond uncertainty and vague ideas about what users will like and what they won’t. You’ll become more aware of their expectations, desires and needs. And therefore get an idea of what works and what doesn’t.

4. UX mapping

UX mapping is a critical skill for UX researchers because they visually demonstrate the user’s touch points with the product. Each competently created UX map shows how the decisions made at the interaction points branch out towards the ultimate positive or negative experience. Finally, by identifying the decisions that cause negative feedback, a way can be found to improve the design.

5. Usability testing skills

They help to avoid serious mistakes during the UX design phase and create a product that is intuitive to the user.

6. Using prototyping tools

Prototypes allow to get feedback, collect comments and test questionable solutions. Therefore, the UX researcher should be able to use prototyping tools such as Figma or Octopus.

7. Soft skills

Considering that observing, hearing and learning from users is the backbone of UX, you can’t do without these skills. If you don’t learn how to communicate constructively and keep an open mind, you’ll never be able to create a user-centric design.

Write in, what do you think about this?

What skills do you think are necessary for a UX researcher?

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